Victims of Circumstance
by lezonne
Summary: After a nearly lethal attack, Hermione escapes Britain with two people at her side, but the changes on two of them are drastic. When they finally make it to Forks though, that's when things really get bad. Rated for language/references. Written on request, now complete! Short story
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: **Hello readers! I usually never write crossovers, but I made an exception for this story. It is a request given to me by **blindredeyes**! It's based around the specifications given to me, so hopefully I can work all of them in. Be warned that many of the characters are OOC, so if that's not your thing you should certainly turn back. If you do like the chapter though, leave a review at the bottom so I know how I'm doing :) I hope you enjoy!

Note: At this time, this story has no beta. Corrections will be put in and things will be fixed when I find one to take on this different story genre from me. So I do know this is not grammatically perfect, but bear with me until I do get someone to fix chapters for me. Now onto the story!

* * *

**Rudely Disregarded**

Brisk wind blew back brunette tresses. She still wasn't used to this livelihood, nor the strange looks pedestrians sent her whenever she drove back to her home. This wasn't her normal place of residence, but nothing was anymore. Everything had changed in the past year, perhaps for the better.

"_What's wrong with you!? Don't touch me!"_

She didn't like to think about the past much; how she came to be. It was an unpleasant topic that would've made her shiver if she had the feeling to do so anymore. Mostly it made the gears in her head turn, working every single night when she would once have been asleep, trying to piece together a motive.

"_Stay away!"_

Pulling up to the house, Hermione sighed. It was strange to learn how to cope with all of this, how to learn to be something entirely new. Ever since the war came to its end, things had taken a wild turn in Britain. Anyone who visited the country now was a fool, and if you still lived there you had better fight for your life. That was one of the reasons she escaped last year, but everything had not worked out as planned. Looking back on the past months of her life- and death- she couldn't ever think of a time when she believed things would end like this.

The girl got out of her car, an old little thing she had purchased with American money upon arriving with her current roommates. It was awful to believe how they came to be together, but now there was nothing to do about that. They lived together in the small house, investigating how life would be from there. It was all still a mystery, one which some people would not leave alone.

The Cullen's- now they were a dilemma. Arriving in this little town had been by chance; when she and the other were running ramrod through the woods in search of a desirable meal. One of the young men took her down, pinning her into the forest floor. Thinking back, she remembered it to be a man called Emmett- or a vampire, whatever one preferred. Either way, he had been closely followed by a female she had not paid a bit of mind to, and a fatherly figure called Carlisle. It had been them that took her back to their home, her counterpart in tow and their third person driving back some miles, hoping to catch up whenever he could.

She recalled how fluid they were; these were people that had lived in this form for far too many moons. They were deadly, but easy. The movements were not unrealistic like her own, and they had adjusted to how to exist in human society without drawing too much attention. And they were pale, just like her.

Ginny remained to be her counterpart, a person that suffered the same horrors she did one fateful night. Now that they only really had each other to trust, the two girls had grown closer together. Suffering the same pains had drawn them closer then she had ever been to Ron and Harry- but they remained to be another story.

"_We have to go, we have to go now!" She whispered. "They are going to find us if we keep hiding."_

"_And if we run out in the open, they will find us just as easily," Hermione replied. "I have a bad feeling that there's little chance of escape." _

Opening the door to her new home, she greeted the blonde relaxing on the sofa. It was a peculiar thing to see Draco Malfoy lounging on her furniture, but it wasn't that farfetched considering he paid for it. Now that Britain lay in ruins, there was nothing for him there. And more over, no one wanted him. He was just as much of an outcast as the creatures he now lived with.

"I don't understand how you can commute from one town to another on a day to day basis for schooling without losing your mind," he commented as she passed. The shirt he wore was unbuttoned and fully open, as his tops were the majority of the time these days. The livid scars still rested there, a telltale mark of the pure violence one can be consumed by when changing.

"It's worth it," Hermione replied, sitting in the chair opposite him. A glass of water sat at his side, slightly dirty. He still hated to do his own dishes, even if he was the only one that would use the mortal dishware. There was no need for the women to use it, when they ate other substances. "We're going on a hunt tonight," she continued, watching him.

"I expected as much," he replied, giving her a lame shrug. "You two always go out when the moon is high."

"Yes, we do," she continued, thinking to another being that lived not too far away. "Perhaps I will make another stop on the way home."

He looked uninterested in her comment, as usual. "You don't have to tell me Hermione, you always stop by his place when you're done. If you keep trying, Weasley might actually stay with you and speak to him."

Hermione pursed her lips, looking down to pick at the soft material of the chair she sat in. During their escape from Britain, it had been Ginny that slashed the marks across his chest, before she nearly ate their enemy. It took more control than the brunette could ever explain to pull her friend off of him, saving the gits life. At least they still knew magic, and they saved his life. In return, he helped smuggle them out of the terrorized land, without any of their friends. That was the price to pay for his assistance, and in reality it wasn't so bad. They didn't have anyone that would want to come with them anymore. But she had been the one to administer the gashes, and it was something Draco never forgave Ginny for. Even when the trio began growing closer and spoke vaguely about their pasts, Draco would call Hermione by her correct name, but never changed over to calling Ginny by hers. He held a grudge over the almost fatal blow, one which he would never forget.

"We both know she won't; she's too scared."

He glanced sideways at her. "Well maybe if the two of you attempted to lock yourselves to creatures of your own kind then the problem wouldn't be as severe. He's a werewolf Hermione, no better than Lupin ever was. They are still killing creatures."

The girl snapped herself into a standing position, balling up her hands. "You easily forget Draco, but I am a killing machine too."

The blonde held up his hands, though he didn't look very afraid. "I know I've taken enough pain from those teeth of yours. These gashes from the lovely Weaselette are the only obscurity on my perfect physique, though I won't lie that they do make the women pity me when I bring them home." He smirked at her disgusted look; some things never changed. "Thank Merlin for magic, or I would be dead by now."

"I don't want to hear about that," she replied stiffly. "Now do you know where she is?"

He shrugged. "Probably up in her room, as usual. She doesn't like to talk to me you know. I don't know if its guilt, or endless hate, but either way I wouldn't be surprised if her unchanging body dances on my grave someday."

The girl watched him a moment longer, but gave no reply. When his attention refocused on the muggle television he had discovered once arriving here, she turned away. Draco had not been bitten like she and Ginny; he would not remain ageless like then. If he married a muggle, he would outlive her, but they would surpass his years by centuries. It was odd to think that in eighty years everyone would've aged and grown wrinkly, and everyone from her past would be dying and turning to dust, yet she would still be the same person she had been at nineteen, never able to actually reach twenty years of age. In America, that wasn't even old enough to legally drink.

Those were the thoughts that sometimes threw her into depression.

"_Someday sweetheart, you'll be thankful that I didn't rip your heart out."_

* * *

Ginny didn't answer her door for the first three knocks. After the fourth, Hermione kicked the flimsy door in. That was certainly a benefit of being super human; super strength.

The redhead lay on her bed as usual, glaring up at the ceiling. The object really was unnecessary, considering she only ever sat upon it. With the riches that Malfoy did escape Britain with, he had argued that she only needed a simply couch for the room, but she ignored him. It wasn't unexpected that they argued about simple things. Not after Ginny's original attack on him. He did like to pick on the poor girl often though, and it did little to help the situation.

"It's so good to see you in high spirits," Hermione said lamely, throwing the door shut. If the blonde downstairs was disturbed by the noise, he didn't let either girl know. Often, he simply ignored them when possible.

Ginny grunted in return, refusing to respond. Hermione could only roll her eyes at the girl, used to her behavior. Forks Washington had been their home for nearly eight months, and throughout that time Ginny had fallen into a ridiculously repetitive pattern. She would mope about the past, go on a filling hunt with Hermione that might sustain her hunger for a few days, blatantly ignore the man that so badly wanted to imprint on her on the way home, then return to the house and mope about her situation again. It made the brunette want to gag- if she still could.

"You could always try something productive you know and actually bloody talk to him," she continued with a sigh. "I'm going to their home tonight after we finish looking for food, no matter what his elders might say. You're welcome to come with, but only if you are going to participate in conversation this time. It's horrible that you continue to come along just to crush his heart. Don't you have any empathy at all?"

The ginger finally turned her head, glancing at her friend. "No, I don't."

"Ginny," she snapped, slamming her hand onto a wood desk. The furniture cracked against the force, and she silently reminded herself to use magic to fix it later. "You can't be that cruel. Just because Harry-"

She was up in a moment, directly in front of her counterpart, their eyes glaring into each other. Ginny was seething, her anger having peeked in a matter of seconds. Hermione stood her ground, balling up her fists. "Don't _ever_ talk about him! We never talk about Britain!"

"You can't just ignore that part of our existence!" she countered, leveling her stance with the gingers. "We lived there as different people- different, _living _people. Times have changed, and you need to accept that those parts of our past did exist; they are unchangeable. Stop pretending like we can't talk about them!"

The ginger shoved her, causing her friend to fly back against the wall. Vaguely they both registered footsteps from below, but neither paid them much mind. Hermione was up again in a moment, used to this sort of behavior on her friend's part. She was far angrier about their changes than she was, but perhaps that was simply because the brunette had become unhappy with her life towards the end of it. Maybe she didn't have as hard of a time accepting this because she felt she had nothing to lose by dying.

"_You're so ungrateful Hermione! Don't you even care about me? I couldn't wait for you forever!"_

"_Ron, you don't know anything! You think this is funny, hilarious even? You think this is alright? You're cheating on me!"_

"_You can't cheat on someone you're never with."_

She didn't see much to lose in that life. Her parents were dead, gone forever. Her friends, her relationships were strained to the brim of breaking, and she missed the fallout when she died. Something changed between her and those she had grown up beside for years the day she changed, became something new. They would never have accepted her for what she- what she and Ginny- were now.

The letters that found them days later confirmed her suspicions. The vampire that bit them was caught, and killed. But the horror of what they had become could not be overlooked, and their friends, families only saw them as monsters. Any hope of remaining in Britain was shattered from there.

Vampires weren't very favorable in the country as it was. Living there would've been a hardship on itself.

Hermione gained a fighting stance, barring her rapidly growing teeth. She didn't exactly enjoy fighting her friend, but with her overactive senses always jumping out at inconvenient times, she didn't always have a choice. Before they could duel again, a blonde figure appeared at the doorway in her peripheral vision.

"This again?" he asked with a sigh. If a wizard knew these actions were ordinary, then he knew too much about the blood suckers for his own good. "Now what's got the two of you worked up?"

The ginger swiveled her head in his direction, barring her teeth as well. He only raised a pale eyebrow, not at all threatened by her demur. He dealt with her actions often enough to know how to handle her- either of them- in such situations.

"You got her worked up again," he muttered, directing his voice to Hermione. She did not miss the irritation in his tone, but instead chose to ignore it.

"And you're probably not helping," she replied just as evenly. Ginny never did let things brush off easily, or at least not anymore. She lunged at them, and the blonde had her stunned in a moment. Hermione watched as her body hit the ground.

"She will hate you when she wakes up."

Draco chuckled. "And that's supposed to bother me? We already don't get along."

The girl looked away, studying the surroundings outside the window. "No, I suppose you don't."

* * *

Although the girls did live as vampires now, they stayed away from the Cullen household, despite their strange hospitality. Hermione thought that the girl called Bella was quite strange to be around, and Ginny couldn't stand Rosealie. So, they avoided the other local vampires as much as possible.

It actually made things better.

Jacob Black and his group of werewolves did not seem to favor the Cullen's much. Hermione knew all too well that the alpha wolf had longed for Bella Swan for a long time, but when she came to town those burning desires slowly smoldered into nothing. Unlike Bella, she did feel something for the strong shape shifting werewolf, and her natural curiosity and desire to learn drew her to him more and more.

Those simple facts led to the birth of their relationship. Now that she was a creature of the night, Ron wanted nothing to do with her. She lost her boyfriend the day she was attacked, mutilated and changed against her will. But maybe that was for the better. Now she was with Jacob, and his kisses made her feel something down to her toes. It was a relationship like none she had ever experienced, and although she knew that his pack frowned upon their relationship, the alpha male showed no concern for their opinions. It seemed that he would be with whoever he wanted, so long as things worked out.

That worked for her just fine.

There was a single female wolf in the pack that took quite a liking to Malfoy as well, but she knew that anything that had fur and fangs was not his cup of tea, and despite the poor girls efforts she could not get him to ask her on a date. Jacob had explained that imprinting happened when a wolf channels all his/her affections to the single person that will most likely be its spouse, but he did not believe for a minute that was what was happening between Draco and Leah. The girl was simply crushing on a new boy in town, and he did not return her affections.

But at least it was a crush. Now Seth, everyone knew that Seth was in way deeper. The poor wolf had been chasing Ginny Weasley around for ages, ever since she came to town. But Ginny held onto the unrealistic idea that Harry would come looking for her and take her back, despite his obvious revolution at what she had become. Hermione knew Harry didn't want her any more than Ron wanted the brunette. Although the older girl could let go of old relations, her friend could not. She was insistent that things would someday go back to the way they were before they were attacked. But that could never happen again, not when things had changed so drastically.

She would have to accept someday that this was her life now. And unfortunately, her denial was hurting poor Seth. If the boy wasn't trying to imprint on her, things would be easier.

But everyone knew he wouldn't give up. He would rather die than give up on anything. And Jacob feared he would let himself die before he accepted Ginny Weasley's denial. If Hermione could sway the girls opinion, she would. Yet nothing she said did anything to the girl's opinion. And poor Seth got to suffer through it all.

That's how Hermione ended up alone over at Jacob's, sitting up in his room that day. Ginny came along on the hunt with her but out rightly avoided coming over with her. They all knew that she was avoiding the young wolf, and there was nothing Hermione could do to fix that. The girl was stubborn, even now that she was dead.

Maybe she had such a hard time adjusting and letting go because of the standpoint she had between he and her own family. Some of the members tried to send mail and seem accepting overseas, but the amount of letters screaming hatred at her outweighed the kind ones. Harry and Ron were simply so disgusted with what had happened that they targeted both girls with crude letters explaining that they should never come back to Britain, but Percy and Charlie took it a step further. They sent more letters- Howler's even- to torment the girl. Now Hermione had created a spell that kept the birds from ever locating them all together, but it did no good; the damage was done. Although Ginny's parents and twin brothers tried to be kind to her as she transformed into something new and scary, it did nothing to save her attitude. She was now very hurt by everything sent her way.

Percy, Charlie, Ron and Harry were victims just like Hermione and Ginny. Their families and friends suffered just like them, just to less extreme reaches. They were all victims of circumstance, unable to do anything with the game board now set up before them. They all had to play the game one way or the other, whether they wanted to or not. It was unfortunate, but it was a life.

And Malfoy was in the same boat. His life had taken drastic turns, and now he played on the same board they did. They all coexisted together, whether they wanted to or not.

The tanned wolf fell into the bed beside her. "What are you thinking about?"

She smiled softly. "Everything."

He rolled on his side, moving to trail kisses down the side of her neck. "What's bothering you?"

The girl glanced at him through the sides of her eyes, holding her gaze with his own. "Fred and George owled me earlier- Ginny's twin brothers- saying that their siblings are restless. They are still angry about what happened, that we're alive, that we took off. I don't believe they even know what to be angry about anymore. But nonetheless, they are very angry. He said they seemed to be making plans along with Harry- I've told you about him- but what they are planning remains a mystery. It sounds suspicious to me."

"Yes it does," he agreed, moving to dip his head lower. "Do you know what I'm thinking about?"

She smiled. "What?"

He moved back up, kissing her roughly for a moment on the lips- a kiss that had her gripping him before he finished- before he responded. "You."

"And what about me?"

He chuckled. "I think you know Hermione."

She raised an eyebrow, looking up at him. "Your father is home. He won't appreciate us making that much noise."

He smiled, standing up. Extending a hand to her, he spoke, "That's why I thought we would go down by the beach."

"Where there could be a countless amount of people? Jake, do you really think that's a good idea?"

The wolf grinned, pulling her towards the door. "We'll just have to be careful."

She smiled in return at that, mischief dancing in her eyes. She might be concerned about horrifying his father again, but that didn't mean she was completely ignoring his suggestion. Sex with Jake was fun after all; it was rough.

* * *

"She hates me," he said, again pitying himself. Jake rolled his eyes at the boy's side, looking out from his position on the beach- the same place he had taken Hermione the night before.

"She's stubborn," he commended, trying to comfort the troubled boy. "You can't expect her to be all that open Seth, not after what happened to them in Britain. She's just closed off right now."

He scoffed, standing as he spoke. "That's easy for you to say. Hermione, she's your mate. You imprinted on her, and she accepted." He smiled softly glancing back at the other wolf. "I do like you with her more so than Bella. At least she's good to you."

Jake glared. "You're the same with Ginny, Seth, even if you don't see it. You want her to fall for you, like you have fallen for her. She's resisting though, just like Bella." He glanced away. "It's best you give up on her now, before she drags you around too much. I let Bella… I let myself fall for someone that never felt the same way for me." He wasn't sure that was entirely true, but it made him feel good to say. Made everything seem less ridiculous.

Bella was still a very fresh wound in his best, a backslap that ended up hurting him more than he would like to admit. If Hermione hadn't shown up at the opportune time, then he wasn't quite sure what would've happened to his mind. The brunette saved him, but the ginger female only caused problems. She was foolish, rebellious and angry with the new direction her life was taking- or her death, if anyone looked at it like such. She wouldn't accept anything in the world right now, least of all the affections of a werewolf she continued to brush off.

Seth began walking away, picking up a rock as he walked. "Maybe that's true," he said dully, looking out at the water as he launched his rock, attempting to skip the smooth stone without success. "But Ginny, fuck Jake, I can't get her off my mind. She's always there, haunting my thoughts. It's horrible- and I know it is- because she's so rebellious and against even speaking to me. When Hermione came over the other day, I tried asking her why Ginny hates me." He shook his head. "She didn't want to give me an answer."

The older boy held back a groan, wishing his friend would let Ginny go. He knew it was hard to be rejected by a girl- possibly more than anyone by now- but if Seth was trying to imprint on someone so resistive, he was just going to get hurt in the end. Bella was all the proof Jake needed on that account. The woman was heartless when it came down to it, and she was a fool in the end. She was going to let oh-pale-one turn her into a lifeless corpse, just like him. It was sad.

Hermione, he could respect. Her transformation may not have been voluntary, but she chose to try and be better. He didn't fully understand how the two woman traveled so far around the world without eating the blonde companion they brought along, but he was certain there was a story to that he had yet to hear. He respected her because from her stories, she lived life to the fullest and made herself happy. And now that she was dead, she still tried to make the best of things. She wasn't giving her life up for a strange man she decided to fall in love with. She could make her situation work as it was, and he would accept that. So long as she stayed happy, he would be too.

Now if Ginny Weasley could learn to be the same, things would be easier around here. Currently the ties between the Quileute Pack and the Cullen's were fairly bad, and Jacob couldn't say he was sorry for it. Bella made her choice, and he was making his. Maybe things were better this way.

"She's trying not to be too cruel," he said at length, attempting a shrug. He didn't know what to tell the other man.

Again, the younger wolf scoffed. "I wish she would tell me the truth though, Jacob. I just want to know what I'm doing wrong with Ginny."

Jake shrugged again, holding back a comment. Seth shoved his hands into his pockets at that irritated that his friend wasn't being of more help.

_You're not doing anything wrong Seth. You just picked one of the most hard-headed women I have ever met. I wish you luck with her. _

* * *

Hermione read the letter twice, continually looking up at Draco as she did so. It had been the blonde that retrieved the male that morning- which usually there was very little of- and found the bird perched on the banister outside. He had reluctantly brought it in when he noted the name on the front, and since then things had gone downhill.

There was only one letter, addressed to Ginny and Hermione. He never got mail from Britain, and it appeared no one was even looking for the man. He got exceptionally irritated by the fact, but Hermione thought he was kind of lucky. The girl didn't waste time tearing the letter open, and since then had been reading the words over and over. Draco only read the letter once, but it was enough for him to know things were bad.

She threw the paper down at length on the table, pacing back and forth as thoughts flooded the contents of her head "This is bad."

"You think? They are going to be on our doorstep in mere hours by the looks of things. And I doubt that they will be happy to see anyone of us."

The girl glared at him. "They shouldn't be coming," she said dully, clasping and unclasping her hands. "I know they are angry, but I was under the impression that they had all but given up on the two of us. They were so angry and disgusted with us at first that I never expected them to come looking here. I mean, it's not hard to figure out where people are when you try and contact them enough times, but those words aren't filled with remorse for how they treated us and shunned us. They are angry Draco- about what exactly, I'm not sure. But things don't sound good."

"I know," he agreed. "They are coming to see you, but they don't sound pleased about it. I'm not sure why they would bother coming if they don't want to; seems like a waste of travel."

"Yes," she agreed, looking past his head. "Do you know where Ginny went to this morning?"

He scoffed. "If you have so easily forgotten Hermione, I attempt to stay away from that bitchy girl as often as possible. She's probably off in the woods again, working off as much steam as possible. For you and I, that's a good thing."

"I know," she said slowly, sitting back at the table, "But if they are coming, we should leave. Maybe we can cross up into Canada. All I'm saying Draco is that they won't be happy to see us, and a confrontation between the group of us wouldn't be pleasant. I don't want to endanger Jake or any of the other werewolves."

The blonde smirked at her comment, knowing very well why she didn't care a bit about the Cullen's. "Then you should go find her and bring her home. Escaping will be easy enough for us; though I'm not sure your lover boy will appreciate your abrupt departure. He seems a bit smitten with you."

She rolled her eyes, knowing the blonde only said these things to pick on her. She opened her mouth to reply but was cut off as the door to the house was thrown open, and a girl burst through with fiery locks, slamming it after her. Hermione just barely concealed the letter into her pocket before Ginny came in, collapsing on a chair beside Draco.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, his question coming out carelessly. Hermione watched the two carefully, wishing they could get along for at least a few minutes every few days.

But Ginny just shook her head, glancing up at Hermione. "I… I was out in the woods. I climbed up a tree to get away from things- one of those huge ones- when I saw a blue car driving by. Merlin Hermione, it looked like the car my _father_ likes to keep at the house."

Hermione and Draco exchanged a glance. Well, looks like they had less time than they first thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n:** Sorry about this being late, but I've been quite busy. As of now there is still no beta for this so I apologize for grammatical errors. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Hermione made an instant phone call to Jacob before she began packing the truck. Agreeably, the Quileute Tribe would protect them if trouble ever arose- not that the three of them needed protection. But if they hid at their house alone, then there would be nothing to stop the angered wizards from breaking down the door to find them. At someone else's house however where they could hide, the Britain's were less likely to cause damage.

But then, there was no real way of knowing what they would do. The departure from Britain had been quick, and it left them with few answers as to how their forgotten families would be taking things. Most likely they were angry, but they could be worried too.

Hermione just didn't want to chance it. She and Ginny were the soul targets, but she was sure that if either Ron or Harry were in that car, Draco would be another main target, just for the hell of it. Unfortunately for the blonde, the two girls left him to drive and they took off through the forest, reaching their destination in much better time than he would.

"Are you sure they are going to be reckless?" Jacob pressed her when they arrived as they sat in his room. "How would they even find you? You said they hated you, so why would they bother hunting you down?"

She shrugged, playing with his bedspread. "I just don't want to take chances. Vampires… they are misunderstood where we come from. The tolerance for werewolves even is low, so the idea that we are vampires is a hard thing to grasp. Look, it's just complicated. Let's just say that after the war we went through, not everyone was ready to accept another blow."

He shook his head at her. "I still don't understand. Maybe you should talk to them-"

"No!" She stood and got off the bed, wrapping her arms around herself. "They don't care what I have to say, or Ginny or Draco. I just don't know why they want us now. Besides… that may not even be the right car. We might be worried over nothing."

Jacob was quiet to that. He had nothing to say, for he wasn't sure what she wanted to hear. He could see that things were swimming around in her head; he just wasn't sure how to help her get them in order. Really the girl didn't need to come there for protection- though he wouldn't lie that he liked the idea- so he didn't understand. Why take such precautions? What did she fear?

Instead of looking for something to say, he stepped forward and rubbed her arms. She might not need it since she was always cold now, but he wanted to do it. He just wanted her to calm down.

Little did he know that nothing was going to calm her down now.

* * *

"They aren't here," Harry said dully, surveying the house. "Are you really sure this is necessary? They left for a reason."

"It's completely necessary," Percy argued, looking around the place again for any signs of life. "This is where mom and dad always address the letters, and the other day I coped down the address. This is the place, they just aren't here."

"Then we should go back," Charlie argued, sitting on the couch in the same place Malfoy would usually sit. "They are out of our lives now, out of the way. I say as long as they don't come back, we should leave them alone."

"We can't," Percy argued again, walking into the kitchen. "Everyone knows what they are now, and look what it does to us! People gawk and make fun of us because our bloody sister and her friend are fucking vampires! As if things aren't bad enough back home, we have to deal with this shit on top of everything else."

"There's nothing we can do Percy," Ron spat, leaning against a wall. "They know they aren't wanted, and they got the hell out of Britain before someone tried to kill them. They know they are hated, they know they are outcasts. We should just leave it as that."

"But we'll never get out from under the rumors if something isn't done about them."

"What are we going to do?" Harry said, studying some books that had been left behind. "Someone was here recently, but who knows if it was them or not. Besides, rumor has it that Malfoy escaped with them, that's why so much of his money has been taken from the vaults and turned into American money. He's doing it all through floo, and everyone knows he's over here someplace. More people come looking for him that Hermione and Ginny, because at least there's a bounty on his head." He picked up one of the books. "If we are going to waste this much time traveling through America, we should at least look for him. He's still wanted by the Ministry at least."

Percy threw his hands up. "You guys are missing the whole point. Malfoy might bring in money, but Ginny and Hermione will bring something better."

"What's that?" questioned Ron.

His brother turned to him, grinning wickedly. "When they aren't around to be a bother anymore, people are going to stop associating us with them."

The other three men in the room exchanged a glance. They had only roughly discussed why they were traveling to America, but most of it was due to Percy's plan. They certainly had their own opinions of what happened to Hermione and Ginny, but it seemed like Percy's ideas dominated everyone else's. And none of them were sure that his ideas were good anymore.

* * *

Her eyes were closed as he watched her, though he knew she wasn't sleeping. Their kind never slept. He knew she was resting, trying to escape the world as she sometimes did. He knew that about her, because he wanted to know everything about her. He probably knew more about her than anyone, but she didn't care. The girl just didn't seem to want him.

Seth just didn't understand Ginny. She was immortal, and she was actually lucky enough to be one of the few people changed into a vampire with one of her friends. She would never know loneliness, not really. She would always have Hermione around to be with her, and that was hat many of them had to hope for; a companion. Even if she never found love, she would always have a friend to spend time with. Maybe that was why she pushed him away; she knew she would never be alone, and therefore she never needed to worry about companionship.

No, he knew that was wrong. She didn't deny him because of Hermione, for Hermione was not always around. And considering that she and the blonde wizard did not get along, he knew she couldn't secretly be falling for him. Maybe it was just him himself, and she honestly felt nothing for him. But how could that be, when he knew he loved her more than he would ever love anyone? It was just so unfair that she wouldn't even think about him the way he desired her.

He sighed. Surely she knew he was there, but if it bothered her the ginger said nothing about it. He appreciated that at least, for then he would have the pleasure to watch her for at least a moment. She wouldn't let him touch her, hold her, kiss her, but at least he could be allowed to look. She was killing him on the inside as it was, what with her constant denial. It felt like she was slowly killing him inside, and he hated it.

Why couldn't she just see him, the way he saw her?

"It's ridiculous," someone said, drawing him out of his daze. In walked his sister, and in front of her stood the blonde man. He didn't much like her, mostly because his sister was so head over heels for him that it drove Seth nuts. He wasn't sure if Leah was imprinting on the moron or not, but if she was she kept it to herself. He sincerely hoped she wasn't. Draco seemed to arrogant to be worth his sister's time.

"Why?" Leah asked, and his interest increased a hair.

"It's just not done where we come from. The fact that humans- vampires- and werewolves get together and have sex is too much for me to take," he said, sitting down on the single piece of furniture farthest from anyone else in the room. "It's just… these sorts of things aren't accepted in Britain."

"Why not?" she pressed.

He groaned. "We're stricter there, especially the magical community. I'm still adjusting to some of these strange devices you have here."

She smiled. "Well, I can help you learn if you would like."

Quickly, he held his hands up. "No, I'm fine learning on my own."

Lean frowned at that, but Seth grinned. Leah certainly couldn't be imprinting on that boy, not at this rate. It made him happy to think like that, for from the silly stories Hermione told him he didn't want the blonde anywhere near her. What was so special about him anyway?

They continued talking, but he zoned them out. His eyes refocused on Ginny, and he found her looking up at him now. He held her gaze, transfixed by her eyes. She was so beautiful, and he couldn't help but stare.

A hand clamping down on his shoulder broke that moment of bliss. "Come on," Jacob said, beckoning to Collin who sat at the table in the kitchen, "We're going out."

"Going out where?" Seth asked, arching an eyebrow.

Their leader glanced back at him. "Investigating, of course. We have to see if those crazy people are gone yet."

"I thought your girlfriend didn't want us doing that," Seth mocked as he stood. Glancing to either side, he frowned. "Speaking of which, where is she?"

"Behind you, scowling," Jacob replied coolly. The younger wolf glanced over his shoulder, waving sheepishly at the vampire. She looked a bit irritated.

"Trust me Seth, if I wasn't so unsure about what they want, I'd be doing this myself," she replied evenly. "But Jacob insisted on doing it since we aren't completely sure of their motive at this point."

They bid their goodbyes quickly, with Jacob pointedly ignoring how irritated Hermione was. But she didn't argue, and anyone in the room could tell that she was tense about the entire situation. The wolves didn't understand- not really- for they had yet to hear the entire story.

And it was a story many of them were eager to know.

* * *

"This is ridiculous," Ron said, imitating a similar statement from earlier without even knowing it. "Percy's gone mad."

"Percy's always been mad," Charlie retorted, "Just never this mad. I can't believe what he's telling us is something he thinks we can all follow through with."

Harry nodded grimly in agreement. "I couldn't hurt them, not really. I know that I was harsh to them, but that doesn't mean I want to see them dead."

"It doesn't mean any of us do," Charlie reminded again, leaning against the car. "He's just looking for a way out of this mess. You know how the Ministry trusts him with nothing these days. They worry that he still talks to Ginny and Hermione, and that would make him untrustworthy with the secrets they keep in there. Magical creatures certainly aren't his area of expertise, but if he is leaking things back to Hermione and Ginny it could be horrible- not that he is. He's just hoping that if they are pronounced dead that he can be trusted again. All this has majorly degraded his status at work."

"The war degraded everyone," Harry reminded gravely. "Besides, I don't want to see them! They aren't the same."

"No, they're dead," Ron spat in agreement. "They're dead and they drink blood. It's twisted and fucked and horrible, but it's true." He glanced away. "I don't want to see Ginny like that. It would be like seeing someone come back from the dead. Or Hermione. It' just too surreal. I mean, the mail we sent was supposed to be read and understood. If they just read the fucking letters then maybe Percy would've been satisfied knowing that they wouldn't return- although with the way Britain is right now, I doubt that is on their list of plans."

The three paused in their conversation, each lost in their own thoughts, all completely oblivious to the trio of wolves that sat in human form just behind a set of trees, listening carefully to every word.

"How do you think it feels?" Ron asked at length, rubbing his head. "You know, to change. I've heard-"

"We don't know and we don't need to know!" Charlie retorted, walking around the car. He hit the hood once, glancing back at the vacant house.

Harry glanced down. "If Hermione were… If things were different, we could just ask Hermione to research it."

Ron chuckled at that, though it came off as more pained than anything. "She would love that."

The three sat in silence again, pondering whatever it was that crossed their minds. From behind the thick trees, Jacob glanced sideways at Seth, who shrugged silently. From the descriptions they got of the girl's past, the gingers and the boy with glasses were hostile figures who would have wanted to kill them as much as the rest of Britain, despite them all being like family. But these people showed empathy, something they thought wouldn't exist in people so cruel. Now Seth wondered if they were really that cruel at all.

_Except this Percy person. I agree, he sounds completely insane. _

Footsteps caught the trio's attention, and Seth exchanged a look with Jacob and Collin. They waited silently, watching transfixed through the green picture frames made out of leaves as a fourth figure appeared, and each supposed this had to be Percy.

"They're still around," the fourth declared. "They have to be. See, the Ministry taught me this neat spell. It'll tell me when there's a vampire nearby. They have them for all sorts of creatures." Again, Seth glanced at Jacob. "They haven't left this bloody town yet."

"Well isn't there the possibility that more than two vampires live in this little fucking town," Charlie asked, squaring his shoulders. It didn't go unnoticed by any of the bystanders that the three seemed to put up a front when this fourth figure appeared.

"Maybe," he said, shrugging. "It doesn't really matter to me; they are all horrible, disgusting creatures. If a few excess get killed in the process then there's nothing really lost there. But either way, I doubt the girls went far. They are probably figuring that we will search a little while, find nothing, and then leave this place and they will be free to do whatever they wish again, but that's not the case. We aren't going anywhere, not until they show their faces again. And when they are gone, we can finally all be at peace."

They spoke a few minutes longer about the same things, before the four gathered into the small blue car and drove away. The wolves waited until the car drove over the crest of the hill before standing, looking at each other.

"I don't really understand them," Collin said at length, shaking his head. "What's their purpose behind all of this? It sounds like that one guy, the one that appears so devious, doesn't quite know why he's so insistent on killing them, just that he wants to."

Jacob shrugged, brushing past his friend. "It doesn't matter, not really. The important thing is that we know they are determined, and that they don't plan to leave. I don't particularly give a damn what their real motive is, just that they seem hell-bent on killing them- so long as that one boy is around. Seems like we are going to be stuck with these nuisances for a while."

"We should tell them what we heard," Seth urged, glancing between his older counterparts. "They need to know."

"We will," Jacob agreed, looking off the way the car drove. "Just not yet. I think it's about time they tell us exactly what went down in London before we are obliged to tell them what we heard. After all, all three of them seem to have a hefty amount of unshared secrets between them."

* * *

She glared at him. "You can't just use your information to black mail me into explaining things to you," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's a dirty little trick."

Jacob shrugged, raising an eyebrow at his girlfriend. "It might be, but you've been here for months and I still have no idea what compelled you to travel around the world, much less how you did it while transforming into a vampire. I've heard it's very unpleasant."

Hermione glared at him. "There are reasons I don't tell you everything you know. It's not just so I can be a bitch."

"I know that. "I'm simply pointing out that I think it will help me understand the situation a lot better if I know how things began."

She took a pretend breath, gripping the counter. They were standing in the kitchen, attempting to discuss things as quietly as possible. The rest of the Quileute Tribe sat in the living room with Ginny and Draco, completely oblivious to what conversation was being held just a few feet away. They were doing a fairly good job of keeping their voices down, at least for now.

"Look Jacob, I know I owe you some explanations, but is this really the time. They could be here to kill us for all I know, and that's more important that belittling facts about what happened to us. I promise you, I will tell you everything that happened, just at a better time. I think it's more important to be prepared right now."

_There seem to be a lot of things about you that you think you know best. I think it would be better if you stopped hiding everything away from us. We helped you after all. _He pursed his lips. "I don't agree Hermione, but for now I won't argue. I'll tell you what we heard, but I plan to continue this conversation tonight, understood? You can't hide everything forever."

She turned away, nodding once. "Very well. What did you hear?" She gripped the chair at her side. "I won't discuss anymore with you about my past right now."

"Fine," he said, rolling his eyes.

_You seem to have some trust issues, don't you? Maybe someone broke all your trust in the past. Is that it? I'm going to find out why it is that you are so resistant to talking, Hermione. _

* * *

They had some plans figured out not long after that. Everything was set up, though hopefully nothing would happen and no fighting would come forth. But Ginny had very little faith that the outcome would be so easy and perfect, and did not rely on those meager hopes to carry her through the night.

Conveniently for a certain wolf, she was sleeping in Seth's room. Technically it was a small guest room that he called his room and had some of his belongings, but nonetheless it was his room, his bed, and she was supposed to stay there, even if she didn't sleep. He had books she could read, and muggle games she could play. There was even a nice window seat to sit on and look out at the scenery.

She couldn't care less about any of it. She was still supposed to stay up in a room so that the other wolves could sleep downstairs, none of them wanting to take on their werewolf form for the night, and she was there so she would not go downstairs and awaken anyone. But she knew that Seth had affections for her, affections she was unsure she could match. For the moment he lay on the bed, though she could tell he wasn't sleeping.

"If you're going to pretend, it might help to fake snoring," she said at length, setting down the book she had been staring at for the last hour, lost in thought, but conscious that he was listening to what she was doing. The figure on the bed rolled over, and his eyes met hers as he readjusted.

"I guess I'm not very sneaky," he joked, giving her a soft half smile.

"Well not when you don't try," she agreed. "What keeps you awake?"

"You do," he said, not missing a beat in his reply. She stared at him, processing his words. He was being bold tonight, and she couldn't handle that. Standing, she resituated herself to the window seat that was further away.

"I'll do my best to stay away then, but it's hard when I'm unable to go anywhere else," she replied, watching his face drop a degree. "You need to sleep."

He sighed, closing his eyes slowly. "Why do you do this?"

"Do what?"

"Don't play stupid Ginny," he said, refusing to open his eyes. "Why do you pretend as though you don't notice me? Why do you insist to ignore me entirely?"

"If I were ignoring you, I wouldn't be speaking to you right now."

He scoffed, rolling over again. "Never mind," he grumbled, scooting to the other side of the bed. "You don't get it."

But she did get it, more than he would understand. She just couldn't handle it. She couldn't fathom the idea of being let down again.

* * *

"Just tell me."

"You don't want to know."

"Hermione," he groaned, running a hand through his hair, "Not this again. If I really didn't want to know I wouldn't ask. But I do. You know everything about me! You know about my past, my heritage, about Bella, but I know very little about you other than that you lived in Britain, you fought a war, and something bit you and changed you into what you are now. But I know nothing personal, and I'm sick of it."

"Jake… it's complicated-"

"No more complications," he argued sternly. "That's all you ever say. I'm helping you out in this situation here Hermione, and we both know I _really_ like you." It was more than that, they both knew it, but he didn't say it. She held his gaze a moment longer before she sighed.

"I told you I was in a war," she began, leaning back against a wall. "It was vicious, full of dark, sinister people that wanted to kill people like me- well, like I used to be- and basically have a world where only Pureblood's existed. Pureblood's are like what Draco is; both his parents are fully magical. I'm- I was- considered a Mudblood, someone with no magical parents."

He frowned. "Well how does that work?"

"I'll explain it all in detail another time," she said with a smile. "But that's not what we're really discussing right now. There was a Dark wizard on the opposite side of the board from me, a man called Voldemort. He was the vilest thing to ever walk this planet."

"I can challenge that," Jacob muttered beneath his breath, able to think of multiple people to contradict her.

"Anyway, he was awful. Anyone that was a Pureblood basically fought for him, so at one time Ginny and I stood on an opposing side from Draco. But then things began to change towards the end of the war. Voldemort was obsessed with winning above all else, and he would kill anyone that stood in his way of victory, even going to the most extreme measure he could."

"Which were?"

She looked past his head. "In Britain, a lot of magical creatures are terribly mistreated and misunderstood, more so than they are here. I'm not sure why we are such extremists, but that's the facts. And Voldemort- the _"Dark Lord"-_ found way to manipulate everything he could. He had a lot of werewolves on his side, but in all honesty I never really heard much about vampires there, especially with a raging war. People just tend to stay away from places that seem difficult. But someone strayed into England one day, and changed everything."

"See, a vampire came in, and once Voldemort realized he could have an advantage over the Order- that was the group I was in- he took it full stride. He convinced his new recruit to attack anyone he could, and soon we had roughly forty vampires prowling around any and all warzones in Britain. It became a problem with newborns, because they were sucking people bone dry. We couldn't control them, and a lot of us didn't have much knowledge about them. Since vampires are already dead, it took some creative thinking to find spells that would actually kill them. But as the war began dialing down, we found ways to kill them permanently, with magic."

"The problem was that when everything was said and done and Harry defeated Voldemort, there will still some prowling around. The war went on longer than expected, but I was only at my eighteenth birthday when it finished, and as you know, I was nineteen when I was bitten. After the war a lot of things were left destroyed, and we still knew that there were vampires prowling around someplace. Despite all of that, no one really seemed to care. Everyone was so ecstatic to know that the war was over, that people got careless and went out at night and partied."

She brushed her hair forward so he couldn't see her face, and for a moment the conversation ceased. "Before I was changed, I was dating- I was engaged actually- to a fellow named Ron. Ron is Ginny's brother, and she was with Harry then. One night she convinced me that we should go out, have some fun. We were so wrapped into getting things back in order that she felt we needed a night out, even if it was risky to attend parties late, what with the threats of vampires around. They can be hard to locate when they want to be." She shook her head. "If we hadn't gone out that night, things would be very different."

"I suppose that's when you got attacked," he asked bluntly, rubbing her arm at her side. She smiled softly at the comfort, but it did little for her.

"Yes, actually. We didn't drink much at all, but the people at the place we went were vulgar, and the hassle of getting to the floo- that's the way we used to travel- seemed to tedious. Ginny and I reasoned that we could protect ourselves for one block on the way to the nearest community floo. It was a stupid mistake, and we got attacked by two of them, me first. I didn't get drained, so I was forced to change. Ginny killed the one attacking me, but got bitten herself by the second. She must've fired another hex to scare it away or something, but I'm pretty sure it missed its mark."

As she paused in her explanation, he grabbed her chin and forced her to look back up at him. "I don't understand then how your friends tie in. Couldn't they have done something to help you?"

She shook her head, brushing his hand away. "They didn't find us first, another wizard did. Like you've heard Jacob, the process of transforming is unbearably painful. He tried to help us by helping himself, and bound us down into the ground, but if I remember correctly I jumped up before he could and attacked him. I killed him, and then somewhere in my swimming mind I helped Ginny escape too. We were scared Jacob, so we fled."

"Harry and Ron heard about the attack barely an hour later. They were Aurors- a version of crime fighters like the police- and they were alerted of the fight. At first I suppose that they didn't know it was us that had become vampires, it was just a possibility for them. Time passed, and I'm not entirely sure how many people we killed when we were changing. I tried to forget Jake, because I don't specifically want to remember how horrible I was."

"I understand," he said soothingly, although he didn't really. He didn't understand the concept of being changed into something you were not born to be. He was a wolf, and therefore it was something he was destined to become, even if he didn't know it at birth. Hermione though did not have to become an undead human, thirsting for the blood of others. She was a victim of circumstance in that sense, and there was nothing that could change that now.

"I don't know how much time passed between the time we changed and the time we crossed paths with Draco. I was nineteen before I changed, and Ginny was mere days away from her own birthday; she will only ever be seventeen. But some amount of time passed, a time when we somewhat learned to control ourselves. The day we crossed paths with Malfoy again was a challenging one; it put our restraints to the test."

"You have to understand, we didn't have to stay together when we were changing. We could've very easily moved on and left one another, but instead we stayed close. It was a comfort for us really. And crossing paths with our once enemy was a challenge because we had to see if we could resist from killing him for more than one reason. He's done horrible things in the past, things I might explain to you someday in the future. But at that time, it was a complete test of willpower, one which we passed."

"I noticed."

"And I'm glad we did. Draco has been that constant reminder since that day that we can keep from killing just because. He disappeared for some time after that and did research in this mass library of his. He informed us of a method that people use, one which consists of only eating animals for blood. It's a practice those Cullen's have. But he instilled that idea into us, and it made us better people."

He leaned over, kissing her head once. "I don't understand something Hermione. Why did your friends hate you?"

She smiled at that, a sad smile. "The thing is Jacob, they found us one day while they were out hunting for vampires. The fact that we had suddenly transformed into something that stood for everything that they were against was almost too much. They were shocked at the time, and that's how we escaped. Less than a day later, we got an owl from Percy. Charlie, Harry and Ron. They wanted us out, or they were going to kill us."

"That's wrong."

"But its what they did Jacob. We fled after that, for there was nothing left for us there if even our friends and family couldn't stand us. Draco came along because he had his own hardships as well. You see Jacob, they can't stand us anymore because we now exist as the enemy."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n:** I took a different approach with this chapter to try and explain things. Like I said, this will be a short story. Five chapters at most, but depending how the next one goes it could be the last one. I'm not sure yet. Please keep up with those reviews because I never write crossovers so any amount of feedback that you can offer helps me make this better and better for my requeste. :) Enjoy.

* * *

When Seth awoke the next morning, he found that Ginny was no longer on the window seat. He should've known that she would take her leave as quickly as she could, but nonetheless it still bothered him. He enjoyed her company- he _needed_ her company- but he knew she wasn't returning his affections. It hurt more than he liked to admit, but he couldn't help it. He was meant to be with her- vampire or not- and nothing would stop him from wanting her.

Getting out of bed, he thought about what an oddity it was that she was meant to be with him forever, when in actuality they should be mortal enemies. He recalled the first time he met Ginny and Hermione, and how difficult it had been to accept things.

"_Are you're friends hot?" Collin joked, walking alongside the blonde man as they wandered down the road. Jacob and Seth were along that day, deciding to hang around the new blonde figure. He was from Britain, and so far he seemed fairly cool. At least he didn't seem to have any secrets. _

_The man scrunched up his nose at the question. "I suppose it depends on your definition of hot."_

_Since meeting Draco Malfoy the wolf pack had noted that he had an odd aurora about him, as though his very soul was laced with some special ingredient that they were not accustomed to in Forks. But even stranger than his aurora was his reluctance to speak of his roommates. The group knew that he lived with two women, though they didn't understand the situation fully. No one seemed to. _

"_Come on man," Jacob said, elbowing the British man softly. "You have to have an opinion on them."_

_There was a moment where the blonde man paused, as though thinking over his answer. "I suppose at one point in time, they could both be considered beautiful."_

"_Why aren't they now?" Seth asked, popping in. _

"_Things changed."_

"_What changed?" the youngest wolf pressed._

_To this, Draco glanced at them. "They did."_

Seth walked into the bathroom, splashing water on his face before he dared to look into the mirror. The pack met the girls only a few days later, on accident.

_He pinned the girl to the ground, flipping her hair over a half second later. The wolf in him told him that danger was afoot, but honestly he didn't sense that much danger radiating from the figure beneath him. Pulling red hair away from her face, his breath caught in his throat._

_She was very beautiful, and just the mere sight of her face stirred up emotions in him that he didn't understand. A carnal longing wanted to peak through, but in that moment he knew he couldn't let it. Lost in his confusion, he completely missed the female lunging to but heads with him until his vision swam and she shoved him off, standing again._

_He regained his footing as quickly as he could, shaking his head to try and clear his thoughts. The female across from him was poised to fight, but in that moment all he could do was stare. He didn't even attempt to shield himself in case the girl tried to attack again, he was just too stunned._

_One thing coursed through his mind as he stared at her; vampire. He felt the contents of his stomach want to come back up as things fell into place. What he was feeling and who she was seemed very overwhelming._

_On the other hand, she seemed very unsettled that he was only watching her. "Who are you?" she spat, still braced to fight. She seemed intent on keeping up her defenses, as though she had a reason to fear him. _

_He shook his head slowly, still watching her. "I-I'm Seth," he said stupidly, studying her slowly. Yes, this girl was certainly a vampire but conflicting thoughts inside his head kept him from moving forward. He didn't quite know what he wanted to do in that moment._

"_Well _Seth_," she said, spitting out his name, "What do you want? Is it a hobby of yours to attack women wandering down the road? You should be thankful no one drove by! What would they think?"_

"_They'd probably wonder about your teeth," he said, instantly regretting his choice of words. The girl's eyes flashed and it unsettled him. He didn't know what to do._

_She snarled. "Don't be worried about my teeth!" She straightened out a bit, maintaining the space between them. "I'm going to go now, and you're going to stay right there."_

"_Yes," he said, watching her back away slowly. She didn't turn around until she was over the crest of the hill, and for a moment he wondered what to do. But curiosity got the best of him, and he hurried to see if she was still facing his direction._

_But when he got there, she was nowhere to be found. The girl was gone. _

He ended up confronting Malfoy about it in the following days when he couldn't figure out where the woman lived. He discovered that she was his roommate, and quickly informed Jacob that he thought she was a vampire, cleverly leaving out the fact that he was immensely drawn to her. When Jacob went to confront Draco about things, he met Hermione on the doorstep.

But that was months ago. Since then things had worked out a lot better between Hermione and Jacob than Seth and Ginny. They quickly discovered that Draco was a wizard, and that Hermione and Ginny- though vampires- still had a magical side to them. It was a bit difficult to understand at first, but by that time everyone had grown to accept each other.

Jacob adjusted to the idea of Hermione being a vampire better than Seth could in regards to Ginny. The other boy spent too much time with Bella and her deranged boyfriend for his own good, and overtime he had developed a tolerance to vampires entirely. He was more accepting to his imprinting on the brunette, and their relationship was a lot healthier. But then, Seth didn't really have a relationship with Ginny. For them, it was a lot more complicated.

As far as he was concerned, she wanted nothing to do with him whatsoever. Truthfully he didn't understand her relationship back in London before she became a vampire, and he still didn't. At first despite the need to have her as his there was an unhealthy desire to murder her as well. His emotions were certainly conflicted. Overtime those thoughts changed and he no longer wanted to harm her, but she was relatively the same as before. The ginger wouldn't even look at him most of the time. It was fairly obvious that she wanted nothing to do with him romantically. Truth be told, the thought crushed him. It was as though he was dying inside a little each day. The fact that his chosen one would not accept him wretched his heart and he did wonder if the sense of death was more than an emotional turmoil. But he couldn't die if he wasn't accepted, could he?

Maybe he should ask someone about that detail.

Drying his face, Seth sighed. Now Ginny wouldn't even wait around his room for him to wake up. Maybe the problem wasn't that she hated him, but that she knew they were two opposing forces in the overall picture of things. Perhaps she couldn't look past that minor detail. But how could that affect her when her best friend willingly accepted his pack leader? He didn't understand her.

It didn't take him long to get ready for the day after that. When he arrived downstairs it seemed that everything was normal and no one seemed worried one bit about what happened the previous night. He thought perhaps that was bad on the off chance that those wizards continued their search for the two witches, but nonetheless kept quiet as he began dishing out some breakfast left on the kitchen table to devour.

He noted that Hermione and Ginny were nowhere to be found, as was Jacob. Thinking that the three were off someplace together, he disregarded the thought and took a seat on a living room chair, the plush cushion feeling very comfortable so early in the morning. Across from him Draco sat with Leah, who was apparently again trying to flirt with the blonde. She was hopelessly crushing on the blonde, and he obviously wasn't taking the hint. Poor Leah.

"Sleep well?" Collin asked, coming to sit beside him on another piece of furniture. He waggled his eyebrows at the younger boy, who in turn only rolled his eyes.

"Yes," he replied, obviously let down. Collin laughed before slapping his younger counterpart on the back.

"Don't worry Seth, she'll come around. Just give her time."

"Yes, but how much time? She isn't even into me Collin! I could be a decoration on the wall for all the times she has actually looked at me."

The other boy shrugged. "She just has to adjust to the idea. Hermione was very open minded to the idea of dating a werewolf. She isn't. But overtime she will have to put your feelings into perspective, one way or another. She'll either accept you or find someone else."

Seth huffed. "Thanks, Collin."

"Anytime," he replied, obviously thinking he was helping. Rolling his eyes Seth chose to say nothing more on the topic. It's not like he wanted to discuss things like that anyway.

Minutes passed quickly, and soon he glanced up at the sound of footsteps to see Hermione and Jake wandering down the stairs. They were dressed impeccably, but he knew as well as anyone that they must've disappeared during the night to have some fun. His eyebrows drew together, and unconsciously he surveyed the room for a woman who was not present. Standing without thinking, he walked over to the couple.

"Have you to gone out this morning?"

"No this morning," Jake replied, smiling at the vampiric woman who only smirked in return. "Why do you ask?"

Seth shrugged, brushing past his pack leader. "I was just wondering if you have seen Ginny anywhere." Without waiting for a reply, he hurried upstairs to see if she was hiding elsewhere.

* * *

Leaves crunched under her feet, but in all honesty she didn't care. Her thoughts felt haunted, and the suffocating atmosphere of being imprisoned in a room caused her to bolt away turning the night. Heightened reflexes helped her escape, and magic helped ensure that Seth wouldn't awaken while she departed. Thankfully she had gotten away, although the cool air that morning did nothing to help clear her mind.

She couldn't believe that they were in Washington- who else would it be? She could clearly see their faces the first time that they discovered she had Hermione had been changed, and could remember the streaks of horror taking over four of the five faces. The fifth she recalled clearly, wanted nothing more than to kill her on the spot.

It shouldn't surprise her so much that the malicious one out of the bunch had been Percy. Pausing against a tree, she closed her eyes and clearly remembered that day.

"_W-we have to go," Hermione said at her side, the natural good in her fighting to stay dominate against the bloodlust coursing through her mind. She was just as hungry as the redhead felt- just as angry- but she was doing a far better job at fighting to stay in control of herself._

_Ginny- the feistier of the duo, lashed out at her friend. "I don't care Hermione! I need to eat." _

_They were alone then, as this was a time before they crossed paths with Malfoy, before they would truly learn to control themselves. They both knew wizards wandered the streets above, attempting to repair the ruins that were now the majority of magical Britain. Even the muggle world didn't look so sharp anymore. But none of that mattered, so long as they didn't do anything rash. With so much to repair above, no one was going to bother traveling down to the basement of a complex right now. Those times would come when things above were in a good condition once again._

"_We'll eat later," the girl rationed, shaking her head. They didn't eat too much, at least not when it came to humans. Later, they would learn from Carlisle and Esme that due to the magic naturally residing inside of them, the unearthly transformation that overtook a person when they changed into a vampire was altered. The magic inside of them would not want to die and be desecrated by poison, and therefore shut off the poison from parts of their body. They had more control over themselves than the average person would in the newborn state, and thus could keep themselves from killing anything that walked by. Although, Ginny later doubted that she would ever have had that much control if it wasn't for Hermione constantly telling her that murdering for a meal was inhumane. _

_Ginny barred her teeth. She hated to wait to eat, especially when their new bodies were so thirsty and ready to devour something. But she put trust into her friend that this option was good, and waited for her to deem when they should make a run for it._

_Time passed, though time was infinite to them now, and neither female bothered to consider how long they sat down there using their heightened hearing to figure out when it was safe to leave. At one point, the noise picked up, and the two women realized with horror that someone was climbing down the stairs of the complex. They had been so focused on looking out dirty windows and listening to the outer world that they had failed to listen to anything closer than that._

_Glancing at each other, they barely had time to prepare before the door behind them was thrown open and three shadowed figures burst through. Their eyes picked out the details and faces of the mortals almost instantly, and Hermione knew from that moment on that things would be complicated. In the delicate light from their lit wands, the faces of Ron, Harry and Arthur Weasely stared at them, horror taking over their facial expressions._

_Ginny expected an uproar from the three, but instead their discovery was meant with silence. The two had been missing for weeks, and now that they were discovered, it appeared that the people before them wished that they were dead. They were part of the newborns, the new phenomenon sweeping the nation that current occupants only wished to exterminate. And since the three before them were part of the allegiance to do just that, both girls felt extremely on edge suddenly._

"_Ginny?" Ron said, gaping at what he saw. The ginger tensed, reminding herself that she still didn't want to drink human blood. And on top of that, this was her brother. She would never forgive herself if she killed him. _

_She growled, before she leapt at them. Behind her she heard Hermione following, the woman muttering words beneath her breath. They drew close to the three men, though none of them fired. In the end, it was Harry who raised his wand first. But the ginger quickly knocked him to the ground, hopping over his fallen form. If nothing else, she had avoided a kill. Hermione followed behind her quickly._

_The idea of getting out without causing a scene now seemed obsolete. _

_Dashing through the main floor of the complex, they were surprised to see no one around. Ginny was still ahead, and she was nearly to the door when a blast from the right hit her hard, throwing her into the opposite wall. Hermione paused at that, searching for the figure that was attacking them._

_There were two people up there in fact, one with a wand drawn and the other simply staring. The brunette immediately noticed them as Charlie and Percy Weasely. It seemed that most of the family was there today._

"_You're not going anywhere!" the younger man demanded, taking several steps forward. His brother remained behind, shaking his head at the scene. If she looked closely though, she could see the disgust illuminated in his eyes, the same type of disgust that Harry and Ron had in their own. Percy's eyes though held only fire. "I don't care who the two of you once were; you are no longer those people. We have to do our job here girls, and our job is to make sure that you don't create anymore vampires."_

_Ginny was on her feet again, and she could hear her brother's cruel words. Part of her mind told her he was twisted, but the other part of her told her to not care. It was his choice if he wanted to truly make them the enemy, but she didn't have any plans to be captured and killed. And although Hermione's morals led them along so far, she knew that the woman wouldn't disregard anything either. They would have to do something if they intended to stay alive._

"_We can't stay," Hermione said simply, before she lunged. Ginny watched the calculated movements for a moment, before noting that Percy was distracted completely and Charlie was stunned. Taking advantage of the situation, she hurried forward and knocked into his side hard, causing him to fly into the ground. Exchanging a quick glance with Hermione, the two girls hurried away to the nearest alley they could find, planning to use back roads to get out of the city. They would need to find a new wand along the way for the both of them, considering that Ginny destroyed her own during the first initial minutes of her birth as a creature of the night, and Hermione lost hers sometime shortly thereafter. _

_As they rushed away, the ginger thought she spotted the tormented faces of her family, and her boyfriend. They watched the two girls escape, helpless to change them back now. If they couldn't accept the two girls, then neither of them had any reason to stay around. Life would seem very lonely for a while after that._

Ginny lurched forward when she thought she heard something nearby. Ever since her family and friends turned their backs on her, she became extremely conscious of what was going on around her. Trust was a hard thing for her to come by, and it was even harder for her to trust someone. She never really got over that betrayal. She knew that Hermione was slowly moving on from that traumatic day, but for the ginger it would always echo in her mind as a great pain.

Vaguely, she wondered if Hermione had indulged Jacob into that story yet. She knew the girl planned to tell him about how they came to be and what led to their unorthodox arrival in America, but she didn't know how much detail she would go into. Surely she would explain the night they were changed, and the people they killed. She probably brought up meeting Draco too. The ginger just wondered how much she would tell her soul mate at once.

She straightened out and began walking again. After their escape, they wandered through the city for a few days looking for an out. That was how they ran into Malfoy, and she smirked at the memory. Oh, he had been a foolish one.

_They stood ready, prepared to attack the unknown person lurking nearby. They weren't sure if it was another vampire who might want to duel to the death, or a wizard looking to simply kill. Either way, both women were extremely aggravated as they stood defensively back to back. _

"_Don't look so concerned girls, it's just little old me." From behind a tall pile of wreckage he stepped, smirking despite the blood leaking from his forehead. Ginny, the closer of the two, licked her lips at the sight. "Then again, none of us are very wanted in this town anymore."_

"_Malfoy," Hermione hissed, her longtime standing with the blonde worse than Ginny's. "It would figure that we would run into you before we escaped. Going to try to kill us now and redeem your bloody name?"_

_He laughed. "You think I want to try to redeem myself? The fucking Order is a very unforgiving group at times Granger, and after all I have done I doubt that anyone would listen to me. I did help the first vampire find some prey after all. I'm partially responsible for this manifest of blood drinker's taking over Britain. They would kill me on the spot before they listened to a word I have to say. Besides, the two of you have some ties in rather nice places. People might not like knowing that I killed a member of the Golden Trio and offed Potter's girlfriend while I was at it."_

"_And you really think any of them are interested in us now?" the brunette seethed. "Take a good look Malfoy! We are the enemy now."_

_He chuckled, brushing back long blonde locks. Scars adored one side of his arm, and the ginger noted that it seemed that he was going through some troubling times as well. "Then it seems that we are on the same side."_

_The younger girl scoffed. "We will never be on the same side Malfoy. We fought for the greater good, and you helped a lesser evil."_

_He merely shrugged at her words. "And that was once true indeed Weasely. But now we are all hated by the Order and all of its members. I'm fairly certain that if you cross paths with Death Eater's who are still on the run that things don't go very well for you either."_

"_What's your point Malfoy?" Hermione asked stiffly. "You're not very liked by your own kind anymore either. I guess they don't like whiny little boys very much."_

_Again, he brushed off her words. "You're right, they don't. That's why I'm thinking that it is in our best interests to join forces."_

_Ginny laughed. "You think that's a good idea? If we get too hungry and lose control you become the first thing to eat!" _

"_That's not the worst fate I could suffer at this point," he muttered. "The point is, all of us have one clear point of interest; escaping London. We will all be killed if we are found, no matter how finds us. The obstacles before the two of you though to obtain that goal are great, and Aurors guard the boarder to try to keep the infestation inside the city. You won't escape with your lives. I've heard enough people talking in these shadows to know that no vampire escapes. No Death Eater's escape either. We are all imprisoned in a large cage."_

"_And how do you tie into this?" the ginger asked. "It appears that you are locked in as well."_

_He reached up, tapping his head. "The doors of my home open only for me. I can still use the floo in my home, for the connections are far harder for people outside the structure to monitor. I'm leaving tonight, flooing to a coastal town where I will catch a ride to America. Nothing is regulated over there."_

"_Why are you telling us?" Hermione persisted._

"_Because I'm injured," he snapped, pulling back the sleeve of his shirt. It was the opposite arm of the Dark Mark, but beneath lay a long red gash, littered with black goo. Hermione realized almost instantly that it was some form of poison._

"_What kind of trouble did you get into?" she asked, looking up at him._

"_If we join together, perhaps I will indulge you on the ride to America. However if I am offering you a way out of London, you must pick up something for me."_

_The two girls exchanged a glance. Now that sounded like the Malfoy they were used to. "What do you want us to get?"_

_He stepped forward, and that's when things began happening quickly. The moment he was in Ginny's line of reach she lashed out out of reflex, causing him to stumble back, his hand flying to his chest. The wand fell, the light extinguishing. Hermione moved forward slowly to pick it up, becoming the barrier between the two. Lighting it, she noted that the blonde's hand was bloodied as well, the result of the gashes in his chest. His eyes though were focused solely on the ginger._

"_Now you really owe me."_

It was all a strange set of circumstances. In all regards he should've been weary of them, should've known that he was jeopardizing his life by even speaking with them. But in retrospect the three of them knew that's what he wanted. His parents were dead, and his life was in shambles after the war. No one cared for him; no one wanted him. He took a foolish chance with a set of immortal women who could rip his throat out, all because he felt he had nothing left to lose. If he had died, he would no longer suffer. If they decided to side with him they could escape- all of them. But at that time, none of them thought they would continue on in their journey together. It was strange how things sometimes worked.

She spun at the sound of footsteps behind her. More caught her attention to the other side, and the nearness of it all made her realize that someone must've been cloaking their footsteps as they headed towards her. Her eyes widened as realization hit her.

_Wizards. And I bet I know which wizards they are too._

The girl took a fighting stance, ready to take everyone head on. She knew from the wolves report back at the house as well as her own view of the car that her family had finally come to find her, and she was fully prepared to take them on. She would've preferred that they have found her when others were around, but this would have to do. After all, she as the one that decided to go out and walk alone. With dangers in town like this, she should've been more careful.

She was being foolish now.

The figure of Ron popped out to her left, and she managed to kick him in the shoulder before he blasted her back into the tree. The dazed look of pain that crossed his face even before her foot connected with his shoulder made her wonder what he was thinking as she slammed into the wood behind her. She was up again half a moment later when Harry and Charlie appeared, the both of them looking a bit uncertain about what they were doing. However, neither seemed willing to back out of things now. Harry sent a spell at her that bound her wrists and ankles, causing her to fall into the ground. Charlie stunned her- twice- apparently making sure that the spell lasted for a while.

She swore at her stupidity. If she could reach her wand and undo the ropes, she was certain she could take them all. But the gits had the element of surprise, cleverly using spells proven to work on the undead to take her down. Well, she couldn't quite call them fools.

The girl lay on her face, but a moment later someone rolled her over. Looking up, she met the eyes of her family, and her ex-boyfriend. Three of the people looked very unsure- perhaps even ashamed- of their current actions, but the fourth looked thrilled. She hardened her glare when it fell on Percy,

"Not so good at hiding anymore, are you?" he taunted, leering down at her. The other three remained silent, and she wished they would say something. Their expressions were difficult to read now.

"Fuck you," she snapped, wishing she had told someone where she was going. The sinister sneer on her brother's face did nothing to comfort her, and more than ever she wanted to be around Seth. Now she missed his looks, his constant attention to her. If anyone else had been around- even Draco- this would not have happened.

He chuckled at her. "Don't be so upset darling, you knew it was coming. Did you really think you would escape forever with Hermione? I've heard Draco Malfoy is with you too; sounds like all of you banned together." He leaned closer to her. "You shouldn't have run Ginny. Things would've been a lot easier for you back in London."

"Percy," Charlie snapped from her other side, glaring at his brother. "Is this necessary? I understand that they left London illegally, but you can't just kill her- them! Any allegiance you've had to your sister and any of your siblings friends will diminish the moment you kill her."

The other boy whirled around. "Don't start backing out now Charlie! You're just as disgusted with them as I am. Don't tell me you're going soft."

"I'm not going soft," he argued. "I just have enough of a heart to not be able to kill my own sister. I thought I was a lot angrier at her, but that was back in London. If you look at things now it feels like angst more than anything."

"You're just nervous," the younger boy argued. "You'll feel better when that _thing_ isn't tarnishing our family name anymore!"

"It's not tarnishing anything," Ron argued, the questioning tone in his voice disappearing even as he spoke. "Think about it- mum and dad don't hate her, Fred and George don't hate her- or Hermione!" He slowly shook his head. "Were we really that upset that we turned angst into anger."

Percy spun around again, pointing fingers at his brothers and Harry, who looked like he was about to talk before the ginger cut him off. "Listen to yourselves! We didn't travel halfway around the world to back out of this now! If none of you lot want to go through with this, fine, make yourselves scarce. But I refuse to have this creature related to me for another moment!"

Ginny was beginning to break through the stunning spells when it happened. Percy shoved past Harry who had stepped in front of her, pulling out a long blade. When the magical killing curse failed to kill something that was already dead, wizards found that a muggle weapon could do enough damage to sever body parts and- in essence- burn the limbs, killing the creature.

The blade pierced her heart and she screamed. She may not have bodily functions like she once did, but pain was still pain- and it hurt. Above her, she could see the eyes of the other three men widening, before Ron lunged at him.

She had a feeling things would only plummet downhill from there.

* * *

"I can't find her," he said, wandering back and forth. Hermione stood next to Jacob and Leah, watching the young man pace relentlessly. "We should go looking!"

"We already searched the east side," Jacob said tiredly. "If Jared, Draco and Paul find her on their side they will let us know. Look, we can go searching the north next, I'll send Jared that direction now."

"What if it doesn't matter?" he argued, obviously distressed. "If she hasn't returned by now that probably means that something bad has happened."

"I'll start checking the north Jake," Hermione said, moving to hurry off but he caught her arm.

"No," he argued sternly. "If something has happened, the last thing you need to do is run to them as well. That's not going to help anyone Hermione, unfortunately."

"That's right, keep her safe," the younger wolf spat venomously, "Like I should've kept Ginny safe."

Leah was about to tell her brother to keep quiet when something caught the group attention. A scream, one that would be too distant for human ears and would go unnoticed if everyone there didn't have an altered sense of hearing for one reason or another. Jake exchanged a glance with Seth before he took off running.

"Seth-" the leader began, but he was already off.

"_Don't try to convince me to slow down Jake. Just come help me, help her."_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/n**: So here's the final chapter! I hope you enjoyed this story :) It's been a challenge for me, but I like challenges. And of course, we must give credit to the requeste who gave the concept of this story to me- **blindredeyes**! This was very fun to write. However, I do need to make the point that for the time being I do not accept request stories from this point fourth. I love that people think I'm worthy of writing something based off their ideas, but right now I have too many ideas bouncing around in my head. So it was fun to do this amazing story for **blindredeyes**, but I won't be doing any in the future, at least not for some time. This was just a special treat :)

Keep up with the reviews guys, seeing as this is the last chapter. Let me know how I did :D And if you like, you can follow my page on facebook. The links on my profile.

* * *

She heard herself coughing as the blade was yanked out of her flesh again, and the sickening sound of tearing skin caught her attention as black spots began to appear. She knew this wasn't fatal yet; she knew she could just get up and fight, and possibly survive. But instead of moving she laid there motionless, surprised at what she was seeing unfold before her eyes. And even this simple pause allowed for her to catch her breath.

Percy had pulled the blade from her flesh, and half a moment later Ron's lunge was complete, and he tackled his older brother to the ground, falling down directly next to Ginny. It was then that she decided to move, scooting back from the fallen pair. Shaking away the black spots in her vision, she noted that Charlie and Harry's wands were drawn, but they were not angled at her for once. In fact, they were angled at Ron and Percy. And as Ron stood up, he angled his at his brother as well.

"This is too far," he said quietly, stepping back to stand beside the others. "I thought we were just mad at the situation Percy; we thought we were looking for closure. It's hard to accept circumstances like this, but that doesn't mean we want them dead." Ron shrugged. "Sure, it would be better if none of this ever happened, but that won't change now. Nothing is going to go back to the way things once were Percy, and killing people won't help the situation either."

The new enemy pulled out his wand, and Ginny slowly stood. "It would be better than knowing you're related to a _monster_," he seethed in response, glancing at Ginny who readied herself to fight if necessary. "I don't know how any of you can stomach that idea."

"I'd rather know I am related to someone who is undead than someone who is dead because I helped kill them," Charlie said hotly. "This isn't Britain Percy; we don't know what people do down here. Considering that Hermione and Ginny seem to be living in the muggle world here, we don't know what any of the wizarding laws are here. It might even be illegal to kill werewolves for all we know. We have to abide by both the magical and muggle laws, and since we don't know what those are, we might be breaking some already. Do you really want to be arrested in Washington for not knowing the rules?"

Percy shook his head. "It doesn't matter; it's worth it!"

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but no one ever got to find out what he was going to say. From the opposite side of the clearing they stood in something rocketed through the trees, and it took Ginny half a moment to realize it was a werewolf. Her eyebrows shot up, curiosity immediately coursing through her. The last thing she expected was to be found by anyone. Actually, she hadn't even thought they would be looking for her yet.

She tensed as everyone's attention turned to the intruder. She knew that most werewolves back in Britain were not liked, and she hoped that after Charlie's speech about different laws and regulations in different countries that maybe everyone would hold back their attacks. Again though, she was proved wrong when Percy turned and fired a spell at the wolf, sending it flying back into the trees.

Her eyes widened further when she recognized the wolf- Seth. Seth, who was always trying to get her to like him; Seth, who would do anything for her. Seth, who should've been somewhere else where he wouldn't get hurt, instead of fighting with a bunch of wizards he had never even met. And Ginny knew all too well that none of her family would hold back attacking a wolf so long as they thought it was a threat, not even Harry.

Deciding she couldn't just sit there, Ginny leapt into action. She used her new skills to easily hop on top of Harry's shoulders, using her weight to through them into the ground. She stole his wand before he could get back up, thankful that she now had something else to aid her. Spinning around, she came face to face with Ron, who had his hands up.

"Ginny," he said, looking into her eyes, "Don't do anything rash. We're just trying to-"

"Don't Ron," she snapped in return, "Don't try and do anything for me ever again." She shoved past him in time to see another two wolves enter the clearing, followed by Hermione, who briefly met her eyes.

She knew things were going to get out of hand from that moment on, but Ginny couldn't focus on that. She could see the gleam in Percy's eyes again from where she stood, the same gleam he looked at her with only moments ago. Her brother was fighting Seth now, and she knew his intent from the moment she caught that look in Percy's eyes. As the mismatched group began facing off against each other, she only had eyes for the set of events that she was too slow to prevent.

The girl was shoving past Jacob the wolf when it happened. Her chest still hurt, and though she knew that she should be concerned about the throbbing there she couldn't make herself worry about it just then. From the tip of Percy's wand she was the light shoot out, before connecting with the wolves face. One could hear something between a scream and a whimper as the wolf fell back, rolling against the earth as he changed back. She thought that was an oddity even as she ran, for she had never heard of that happening. But then, she hadn't been all that compelled to learn about wolves since she came to Forks; she was trying to distance herself after all.

Passing Percy, she realized he had her wand. There was a large urge inside of her to use the teeth in her mouth to rip his throat out, but she decided against it when she noted Hermione rushing over. Let her friend deal with her brother for now, for she had other obligations. Turning away, she created a large blanket out of a sweater she ripped off and fell beside Seth, forming a barrier as she hit the earth.

Throwing the material over Seth lower body, she rolled him over so he was on his back. In his human form again, she could see the gash in his chest obviously created by the spell Percy fired. She hadn't been paying attention to the words- and perhaps he hadn't said anything at all- and she didn't know what kind of magic created his wound, just that it appeared to be very, very bad. Suddenly the pain in her chest disappeared; she couldn't even think about that anymore.

Brushing back Seth's fringe from his face, she wished more than ever that she was Hermione. The brunette knew more spells than most people in their lifetime, and she was certain the girl could fix him up fairly quickly. But Hermione was off dealing with Percy, and Ginny knew she was all alone in this moment. It was up to her to save Seth's life, and she hoped she could.

First and foremost, she cast a spell to check and see the initial damage. It appeared the spell had punctured a lung, laboring his breathing. It also attacked his veins (obviously) and that explained the blood slowly pouring from his shirt. She could see that the wound didn't go all the way through his chest, but she knew it was bad. Maybe if she still had the ability to, she would cry in that moment.

"I'm sorry," she whispered quietly, using one of her limited spells to at least slow the blood flow. "I'm so sorry," she continued, wishing his eyes would open and look up at her. Anything to confirm that he was going to be alright.

She wasn't sure when the fighting around her stopped, but at some point it grew quieter, and the voices of people broke through her concentration. She didn't look up though, for she was afraid if she stopped for a moment that he would slip away.

A hand came to rest on hers, paler than the body of the man she worked on. Her eyes moved skyward, and she noted a head of very pale, very fine blonde hair leaning over the body as well, clear grey eyes looking to meet hers.

"It'll be alright," Draco said quietly, and for the first time in her life Ginny didn't feel like telling the man to shove off. He stopped her movements, and she slowly watched him take down the barrier she had constructed on one side of them. When he finished, he pulled on her hand, beckoning that she should move.

"No," she said weakly, fighting him now. "I won't leave him to die."

"You're not," he argued, continuing to pull on her hand. "He won't die Ginny, but he won't be helped either if we leave him out in the elements with you feebly trying to heal him. They want to move him back to Jacob's home, and there Hermione will heal him. We both know she's fully capable of doing so."

It was then that she finally looked up and surveyed the scene. No one was fighting anymore, and she couldn't fathom when the noise had died down. Now, Hermione stood with her arms crossed beside the four men she had once been very close to, her expression hard. Five wands lay in her grip, and as the ginger looked closer she realized that they were bound. In her rush to try and heal Seth, she had completely ignored how things ended. Beside her longtime friend stood Jacob still in his wolf form, obviously lingering nearby in case anyone tried anything. The rest of the pack stood in a semi-circle around her, waiting for her to get up and move. And when Draco next pulled on her arm to get her to move, she went without resistance.

"What will happen to them?" she asked mildly as the blonde looped an arm around her waist, pulling her away from the body. She noted that Hermione moved forward, charming Seth's form to float in the air so she could levitate him home. Hopefully no one will see.

"It's yet to be determined Ginny. There are other things to worry about first- like making sure Seth is alright."

She nodded mutely, walking at the head of the group with Draco at her side. She began regretting how hostile she had always been to the blonde as they walked, his taller body dragging her along. Here was the best moment in history to be a pompous arse, and he wasn't taking the bait. All that time she had pegged Draco Malfoy as a heartless arse despite everything they went through together. Now her mindset was changing; he was a good wall to lean on in that moment.

But then, it seemed that her opinion on everyone had been a little flawed. Glancing back at Hermione, she could see that the girl was studying Seth as they walked. Actually, it appeared that she was using a second wand to heal as they went along. It was an oddity to look at, but she didn't complain. She needed Seth to survive after all, for she had a lot to say to him.

She was finally learning something. Keeping people at a distance did not always seem to be for the best; sometimes, if that person is compelled enough, it can only make the situation worse. And maybe if she hadn't been so tapped in her own pit of sorrow, she wouldn't have ignored Seth for so long. When he was better, she knew there would be many things to talk about.

* * *

Thankfully Hermione was a lot faster with healing spells than the ginger, and only a few minutes after arriving the wound was healed. She then moved downstairs to find some ingredients to hopefully create a potion to help with his lung, for though she could reattach the poor organ with a spell it would be terribly painful, and the potion would also ensure that if there were any holes in the lung, that would be fixed as well.

Unfortunately, Jacob's kitchen lacked the common ingredients that witches and wizards tend to have, and Hermione quickly found herself departing with Jacob to go to the nearest wizard outlet and pick up what she needed. Ginny just hoped it wouldn't take too terribly long.

As for the four wizards, a fate had yet to be determined. Ginny couldn't stomach the idea of killing them- despite Collin's excitement at the subject- considering that they were family. For the time being until Hermione and Jacob returned, the four were being kept downstairs, watched by the pack and Draco. She thought that was safe enough.

Ginny herself sat in the window seat of Seth's room, watching him from there. Hermione pointedly refused to dress him when the man was so obviously in love with Ginny, and the ginger only looked away at the idea. She had thrown some blankets on top of him when the brunette left to hopefully keep him warm, and so far the wolf hadn't awakened. Her friend warned her that he might wake up before she returned, and if he did that she should help keep him as comfortable as possible. Despite everything, she really hoped that didn't happen.

The ginger felt like such a little fool. After her traumatizing relationship with Harry that resulted in him hating her and trying to kill her when she changed, she didn't really think she wanted to be with someone again. People- even the ones you love the most- could be so unreliable and change in a moments time and be someone you don't understand, that the thought was scary. She wasn't sure she wanted to be with someone who might turn into something she didn't understand again. The heartache couldn't exist now that she was a vampire, but the memories would always be there. If someone did that again, it would just be another daunting memory to look back on when she was lonely at night. But was it better to feel forever alone or to put yourself out there. For Ginny, it was to be forever alone.

That didn't mean though that she never felt anything for the wolf lying in bed. At first when she started thinking that the boy might like her, she had to admit that she felt repulsed. A wolf and a vampire? She had never heard of a sillier thing! She knew that they were destined to hate each other, so how could he feel anything for her in the first place? Didn't the idea terrify him as well?

But overtime, she began to understand. He wasn't a wolf, not all the time. There was human in him, an attractive, male human with an astounding body and a fantastic attitude. He had dreamy eyes, dark locks, and he actually cared to listen to her. But he resembled the personality of Harry at times; a dark-haired male that thirsted for her attention and admired her. Someone that was conflicted with his life yet wanted her to be a part of it. At first, it was all too surreal and she couldn't consider it.

When she first came to Forks, Harry was still a big part of her heart. He may not want her anymore, but he was still there. He was her childhood crush, her first kiss, and her first partner in bed. He was her first everything and the reality that he would never be hers again was crushing. She wanted to hold onto her childhood dream of marrying Harry, of being Mrs. Potter. But it was futile to do so, for it only made her feel more alone and less wanted. How could she even think about being with Seth- or anyone else for that matter- when she was stuck in the mindset that her first love could be her only love? Now, she realized it was childish to hold onto such a fantasy that would never be a reality. Looking back, she knew she had been her own worst enemy from the very first days that she had to cope with her new self.

The ginger's head snapped back to the bed when she heard him stir, and she watched through wide eyes as his hand slowly reached up and touched his head, his eyes dancing open. She remained still for a moment, letting him take in his surroundings and collect himself. There was no reason to startle the poor boy.

At length, his head fell to the side and caught sight of her. Immediately, a crooked grin spread across his face. "I kind of hoped you would be someplace in here, waiting up for me."

She smiled softly at him, climbing out of the window ceil to walk to his side. "Someone needed to watch you after all; make sure you would be alright." She snatched up the glass of water from the table at his side, holding it out to him. "I nominated myself."

Ginny could see the contempt in his eyes as he sipped the water, studying her slowly. He had barely swallowed when he started choking, letting the glass hit the floor as he did so. She ignored the mess, reaching forward to pat his back as he wheezed.

"What the fuck's wrong with me?" he asked, obviously confused as to why it hurt so much to simply try and drink. He glanced up at her, his eyes searching the girls for an answer.

"You can blame my brother for that," she remarked hotly, "Percy, he did this. He was full of vengeance towards myself and Hermione, and apparently any obstacle in the way was worth killing to get to us- to me. He was tired of having to be related to me, even after I was changed into something different."

Seth lay back against the pillows slowly. "Well, hopefully someone killed him for me. I don't think I would want to be related to someone like that." He glanced at her. "Are you alright?"

Her hand came up to rest across her heart, the space Percy had pierced her with a blade. "He's not dead, all four of them are downstairs right now. We were waiting for Hermione and Jacob to return before anything was decided- they are going to make a potion for you to help and soothe some of the pain for when she fixes your lung." He winced when she brought that up. "I'm fine now, before you ask again. Percy stabbed me once in the heart-"

"He _what_?"

She frowned, holding up a hand. "You didn't let me finish. He stabbed me, but you have to know that it takes more than that to kill a vampire. All Hermione had to do to fix the gash was flick her wand; my insides can't really be damaged when my heart doesn't even beat. She's really quite skilled with a wand Seth; she's saving you. Now don't get all hot-headed about what Percy did again, it's over now. Since you're awake and doing fairly well aside from your breathing, I'm sure that you'll be fine to come downstairs and see what happens to them all. Maybe nothing will happen, but who knows." She shrugged.

They spoke a few minutes more, covering the same topics again and again. He kept studying her, as though trying to make sure she wasn't lying about being alright. It was sweet, if not a little irritating too. She was dead for Merlin's sake- unless some cut her to pieces and burned her she wouldn't die! But he was very much alive, and he could still bleed. If anything, she should be the one studying him.

"It's warm," he muttered, shoving off three of the numerous blankets on his lap. She glanced at the ceiling, recalling that he was still nude beneath. Catching her gaze, he frowned. "You don't have to look so alarmed. I'm still covered you know."

She shrugged. "I know." And the conversation was dropped from there. She brushed her fingers through her hair, awkwardly trying to figure out something to say to divert the topic. She knew he wasn't looking at her, and she thought that was kind of sad. He spent so long looking at her, and now he wouldn't glance her way. What had changed so drastically?

"Thank you for coming to my rescue," she said at length, hoping to swing things in a different direction. He did look up at that at least, smiling softly.

"Well I couldn't just leave you to die," he said slowly.

"And you wouldn't have," she remarked. His eyes met hers, and she could read the question within them. "You wouldn't have let me die. Despite how long I have been ignoring you, I have to admit that I can't completely block myself to your feelings. I'm not a stone Seth, really. I do have feelings, and I can tell when someone… when someone wants to be with me." She shrugged, glancing away. "I've just been a stubborn girl, ignoring you for so long."

"It's fine," he said quietly, and his words caught her off guard. Spinning her head back to stare at him, she watched his lips as he continued speaking. "It's a bit ridiculous actually, for me to believe that you would want me; we're so different."

"Seth-"

"I'm not finished Ginny. The differences between us, they just don't matter to me. I want you Ginny, and I know we're destined to be together. Even if you don't see that, even now, I do. And someday, maybe you'll see it that way too. But I can't stop trying to win you, else I'll die. I'm not sure I can live with the reality that you might never be mine, so I have to stay positive."

She moved from where she sat to the edge of the bed, brushing his cheek with her fingers. His body was such a contrast to hers; frigid skin against warm heat. It was a contrast that she liked, for before she often avoided getting near him. "Seth, do you even know why I've ignored you and denied you since coming to Forks?"

"Not really. I can't decide what I did to you to repulse you so much."

Ginny shook her head. "You didn't do anything. I was with Harry back in Britain for a long time- actually, he was my childhood crush. I trusted him with my heart and my safety, and he turned his back on me and betrayed me as soon as he could. The moment I was different, the second I was something unknown, he gave up on me. Changes caused him to see me as a different person, when in reality I am still the same girl I was before. I had to go through the newborn stage of being a vampire, the complete blood thirst that I couldn't control. I think that my actions made him see me differently, made him think I am some kind of monster I'm not. The point is Seth, he betrayed me. I was scared to let anyone into me again and have them throw me aside if something else changed. I didn't want to be hurt and betrayed like that again, so I blocked people out. Even on our trek across America from New York I ignored people. It's something I am afraid of." She cupped his cheek again. "But, my opinion is changing now."

"Why's that?" he asked gruffly. "Even if I didn't think we were meant to be together, you're Hermione's friend- Jake's mate. I wouldn't have let you die either way, so I don't get why you seem so star struck about things."

"I'm not," she said clearly, her eyebrows drawing together. "Reality is just finally dawning on me. You could've died Seth- you were being rash. But I knew you were doing it in an effect to ensure that I wouldn't be hurt."

"Your point?" He was being cold, she could feel it. After her avoidance to discuss these sort of things or even glance his way for so long, it seemed that his heart didn't want to battle anymore. He seemed afraid that this conversation would only result in a heartbreak, and fortunately for him she had no intent to crush his heart.

She bent forward, breathing against his face. "My point, Seth, is maybe I've been too negative towards you for too long. There is a part of me you know that can be compassionate and loving." She bent forward, pressing her lips to his a moment. His reaction was almost instantaneous- he was quite eager- but she didn't linger long. Pulling back, she stood.

"I know I waited perhaps too long to return your feelings," she said, crossing her arms, "But it would be a shame if I did. I really do feel something for you Seth, I have for a while. I just, after what happened… I needed you to know how I felt. I'm not Hermione, so I haven't done dense research to figure out how your imprinting works, just that it usually does. I don't know if you can stop wanting someone when they have held out too long but I won't blame you if you have given up on me Seth." She nodded her head in his direction, ignoring the perplexed look on his face. "I'll just go now."

He turned to leave, but didn't make it very far. Considering that the girl wasn't rushing, she should've expected something to happen. She was close to him still, and he lurched up in bed to catch her wrist. The action startled her, and Ginny turned around to look at him as he beckoned for her to sit on the bed beside him. She did so, and he grabbed her face in the same way she had cradled his earlier.

Seth shook his head, smiling at her. "You jump to conclusions far too quickly." He leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers again, and she let the stiffness in her shoulders fall away, letting herself get lost in the kiss.

It took far too long for the both of them to speak about things. If they had only done this earlier, perhaps they could've been together longer like Jacob and Hermione. But that didn't matter as they kissed, not really. Things were working out now, and they were just fine with that.

They preferred in that moment to have gotten together at some point than to never have gotten together at all.

* * *

"What do you mean you don't want them to _suffer_?" He crossed his arms, looking thoroughly perplexed. "Hermione, they wanted to kill both of you! If they weren't so fucking surprised that you're staying in a house full of werewolves they would probably want to break free and attack again!"

The girl raised an eyebrow at Jacob, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Look, I know what they did is wrong, but you also don't know them. Aside from Percy, I don't think any of them are mental. And if you speak to Ron all he does is look around with a terrified expression on his face. I think the reality of what they almost did finally caught up and they feel guilty. Mistakes happen Jake; they are only human."

"Hermione, I know you have a good heart, but this is just crazy. You can't honestly be thinking about letting them return to Britain after all the trouble they have caused? Even Draco thinks that idea is insane."

The couple had been going over the same topic for hours now. After Hermione mixed and applied the potion to Seth, she quickly stole Ginny away. As soon as she discovered that the stubborn redhead had dropped her guards and finally decided to let her admirer in, she was elated. But the fact of the matter remained that something had to be done about the four bound wizards downstairs. And unfortunately, the ginger wanted nothing to do with that conversation.

"_They are my family Hermione. I won't hurt them, even if they deserve it. What good would it do? Percy will want it in for us no matter what, so I don't see why we want to make things worse. Make an unbreakable vow with Harry or something that they will never search for us again. Our lifestyles will never mesh again, so we can't return back to Britain, but they can. And if we live in different parts of the world, perhaps they will stop thinking of us all together."_

Ginny stayed upstairs with Seth to make sure his body didn't have any funny reactions to the potion, and Hermione and Jake were nominated to be the deciding factors in the wizard's fate. While Jake thought she should use a spell to remove their memories, she thought otherwise. They were humans after all, caught up in the craze of a post-war nation, seeking to keep their lives semi-normal. And how could life be even close to normal, when you're sister or ex-girlfriend is a vampire? To Hermione, it didn't seem quite right to erase their memories. They would have memories of when they were alive after all, and everyone back home would know what happened to the two girls anyway. Erasing their memories would be irrational.

Still, Jake was persistent. She knew he forced this idea most because he didn't want to repeat this set of events, and frankly neither did she. Chewing her lip, Hermione tried to think of a good solution that would please them both.

"I know we can't let them get away with it," she said slowly, glancing up at him. He raised an eyebrow in return. "But we can't just botch their memories. I think I have a better idea, and so long as I ask people with a half sane mind I think it will work out."

"What are you talking about?"

She just shook her head, grabbing his hand. They turned away from the beach, ready to go back to his house. "You will see."

* * *

"Don't listen to her!" Percy seethed. "If you do this, all our efforts will be for nothing!"

"Shh," Charlie snapped, slapping his brother in the head. "Would you be quiet already?"

The living room felt like an awkward place now. Ginny and Seth stood on the stairs, staring down at the collection of people below. Hermione stood next to Jake in the center, her proposal still lingering in everyone's mind. Some of them didn't quite seem to understand what she was saying, but others seemed to have a perfect comprehension. Draco, for one, was looking on in interest at things now.

Jacob looked very concerned that the brunette even wanted to step near these people.

"Well?" she asked, looking at the boy in front of her. He slid his glasses up his nose, looking highly uncomfortable.

"I never thought our lives would come down to this," he said, shuffling his feet. "I never thought you would ask me something like this."

"Well I am," Hermione replied. "I won't ask Percy, for he won't listen. Just take him back with you and throw him at the Ministry. If you explain what he has done, they will search his memories, and he will be charged with trying to kill Ginny. He evaded laws- all of you did- by entering another country just to kill us. No one wants to go through that much trouble for this issue. I won't bother speaking to Percy, because he will have to explain his reasoning for almost killing Seth, and setting up this elaborate plan for Ginny and I. It's too much trouble for a matter that shouldn't be spoken of in other countries."

Harry pulled his hands out of his pockets, looking into her eyes. "I'll take the vow Hermione; I think I speak for all three of us." Behind him, she could see two redheads nodding their silent agreement.

"Then step forward," she said dully. "You will not be welcome here once the process is finished. You will leave here, and you will not return. Go back home, and face reality, all of you. Nothing will change what has happened, and you all must learn to live with it as Mr. and Mrs. Weasely have, as the twins have."

She waited calmly as the two stepped forward, Collin watching Percy while she went through with what she had to. The four sets of hands combined, and she pulled out her wand, casting the red stream over them all.

"You will not return to look for us. Our lives together have been severed, changed by fates hands. You must learn to carry on without us, and without vengeance. Stay in Britain, help rebuild the mess Voldemort left behind. That is where you should be. Someday, you will meet people that will replace us, and that is alright. But you cannot come and seek us out again. To do so will mean death, for our lives are no longer meant to be interlocked. We are all victims of circumstance in this room, changed by forces we can't control." She paused a moment. "Harry Potter, Ron and Charlie Weasely, you will not come searching for any of us again. You will not speak to us again. Things are too uncertain between all of us, and therefore we threaten to upset our tranquil lives by communicating. If you do return to seek us out, it will mean death. Do you promise, to remain away from us for the duration of your lives."

The succession of agreements that followed were unanimous. Everyone understood why they were taking this vow; it set the minds of everyone that would remain in Forks at ease, and made sure that the three wizards would not dwell on the witches forever. Percy however, was a different story. He could not be saved in the same way- not that Hermione exactly wanted to save him. He crossed lines, more than anyone else, all in the name of having a pure line still.

The rest of the Unbreakable Vow finished quickly. It was obvious the witch was well versed, and the connection seemed to go without a hitch. When she was done, the girl stepped back beside Jake, creating a sort of barrier the wizards could not touch. Hermione and Ginny chose where they would stay, and without a word the three wizards- and one silenced Percy- left. No one bid them goodbye.

It wasn't until everyone was sure that they were gone that Ginny moved and hurried out the door, Seth following suit. Hermione glanced up at Jake, unsure what exactly that meant. They followed the couple out, who stood just a few feet from the front door. Upon hearing footsteps on the deck, Ginny glanced back.

"They're gone."

The brunette nodded. "It had to be done. This way, we can all carry on with our lives. Hopefully, this will keep anyone from searching us out again. They all know that they can't reveal where we are."

"Yes," the ginger replied, though she sounded a bit dazed. "I suppose we don't have to run anymore."

"No."

The four stood out there for a long time, watching the sky around them. At some point, Hermione found herself leaning back against the toned wall of her boyfriend. It seemed a bit odd to consider that everything was over, after they spent so long trying to ensure that they wouldn't be found, and that life would be peaceful.

And now that the final obstacle was gone, perhaps they could exist in peace. Only time would tell.

* * *

_~FIN~_


End file.
